Hello, hello!

Read on to discover what Primary 6b have been up to over the last few weeks.

In Literacy, we have focused on the correct use of punctuation, direct speech, and figurative speech, such as metaphors, similes, personification, alliteration, and onomatopoeia (tricky spelling!). We have worked hard to develop our use of reading strategies – skimming, scanning, summarising, and meta-linguistics (using strategies to decipher the meaning of unfamiliar words). Our class novel ‘Boy at the Back of the Class’ has been very enjoyable and thought-provoking to read so far; we are looking forward to discover what comes next!

We have created lots of fantastic pieces of writing. Our ‘I Have a Dream’ speeches were powerful and inspired by both COP26 and Martin Luther King Jr. We have also focused on the features of story writing by creating a character, setting description, and this week we will bring these aspects together to write our action-packed adventure story! We are waiting for our pen-friends to send us their letters and we are eager to write letters back to them before Christmas to share our own traditions and find out more about Romania at Christmas time.

In Maths, we have started looking at fractions; simplifying and equivalent ones, as well as finding fractions of a whole number, to be precise! We looked at rounding numbers to the nearest 100, 1 000, 10 000. We have also completed lots of arithmetic-based activities and have been developing our mental maths skills through daily practise.

We have continued with the Pope Francis Faith Award. We prepared and delivered engaging presentations to our classmates about our hobbies and also our parents jobs. They were excellent! We also researched Fair-trade and the learnt about the importance of the fair exchange of goods; we have been on the lookout for Fair-trade products on the weekly shop!

Canon Eddie came into school for a Remembrance Service. We also wrote the names of family and friends who have passed away and remembered them in our daily prayers. Moving forward, we are going to ensure that we learn ‘Eternal Rest’ by heart.

We enjoyed creating some spooky Halloween art a couple of weeks ago. We drew a zombie hand emerging from the ground and coloured this using oil pastels to create a dramatic effect! Recently, we sketched and painted autumnal leaves, using watercolour paints; Miss Mackay asked us to bring in some interesting leaves to inspire our artwork.

We learned about climate change and global warming, alongside the COP26 event in Glasgow. We decided to make climate posters and we also researched activists to learn about their contributions to the planet – Greta Thunberg, David Attenborough, and Jane Goodall. Following COP26, we decided as a class to adopt & donate money towards two animals – a Giant Panda (whom we named Felicia) and an Amur Leopard, named Amuro. They have been adventuring to some of our homes, the cinema, and will be heading to the pantomime soon! We took our learning a step further by exploring the specific topic of renewable and non-renewable energy types.

We enjoyed participating in the Play Zone, where we learned how to teach Primary 1 games in PE and how to keep them engaged. For Wellbeing Wednesday, we were lucky enough to meet a runner Ricky Saez runner, who put us through our paces in the MUGA. We have also been thoroughly enjoying our Committee time, contributing our views and taking a hands-on approach to making sure our school is the best it can be!

• The STEAM Committee were discussing ways in which access to technology could be improved in order to support our learning.
• The Fairtrade Committee were learning more about the importance of Fair-trade and how it benefits farmers across the world. The members of this committee will be trying to raise awareness of the benefits of buying Fair-trade products.
• The Pupil Council discussed positive changes that could be made to our school. For example, we would like to provide more fountains for drinking water to avoid big queues in hot weather. We also discussed ways in which to improve storage of first aid supplies, such as ice packs.
• The Road Safety Committee worked together to create a ‘top ten’ list of tips to help children stay safe when out trick-or-treating for Halloween. For example, wearing reflective patches alongside your costume will help make you more visible to motorists.
• The Library Committee discussed some ways in which to improve our school library. For example, we would like to invite people to donate their old books in order to improve our selection.
• The Music Committee were discussing ways to provide learners with opportunities to share their talents within the arts. We suggested hosting more talent shows.
• Our ‘Digital Leaders’ were sharing ways in which we could improve the use of digital technology to enhance our learning. We also received training on updating learner profiles and made arrangements for teaching these skills to other classes.
• The Rights Respecting School Committee were discussing how rights are accessed in our school, and new Rights Ambassadors were given the responsibility of visiting other classes to teach our peers about their rights.

We have worked hard to build miniature reindeer for our Christmas enterprise craft; we used natural materials such as twigs for this, of course! Miss Mackay injured her finger in the process – a testament to our collective effort!

We are very much looking forward to the Christmas Fun Day this coming Thursday – we’re hoping to have some hot chocolate and visit the reindeer!

Next stop… Christmas! Out Secret Santa gift exchange is taking place on the last day of school.

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Primary 6B x